


Warning: Don't Stay Up Past 24 Hours (Unless You Want To Confess Your Feelings To The Love Of Your Life, Then Go Ahead)

by thunderfitz



Category: Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (TV)
Genre: Angst, But it never happens, But then this happened, Drinking, Drug Use, Drunk Character, I'm so sorry, Ian Grimm is mentioned, Jo and Rachel and Dana are also mentioned, M/M, Poppy Li is mentioned, also it's so long yikes, also rape is like offhandedly mentioned, also there's drinking, and Brad is drugged, didn't mention CW because who even cares about him, mostly by Brad, my hands have a mind of their own, rated mature because the f bomb is used a lot, so please be cautious of that, sorta?, they just think it could have if things had been different, this was supposed to be a fic about happy drunk Brad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:20:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24881446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderfitz/pseuds/thunderfitz
Summary: Just when David thinks he might get a chance to relax, Brad gives him a whole new reason to freak the f*ck out.orBrad gets into a shady (scary) situation at a gay club and David's the first person he thinks to call for help.
Relationships: Brad Bakshi/David Brittlesbee
Comments: 11
Kudos: 79





	Warning: Don't Stay Up Past 24 Hours (Unless You Want To Confess Your Feelings To The Love Of Your Life, Then Go Ahead)

**Author's Note:**

> hi! shoutout to my friend Artis, who inspired me to write this by suggesting I write about happy drunk Brad... CLEARLY this turned into something much angstier (if that's a word- if it's not then shut up because it is now), but I still wanted to thank Artis anyway.
> 
> make sure you read the tags of this thing because there are a couple triggers you might wanna be aware of. and feel free to leave comments, as they give me motivation to write! thanks <3

Pinching the bridge of his nose, David sighed in exasperation. He’d been forced to stay late, having a very, very long meeting with Poppy, Ian, and Jo. Ian was attempting to add a new feature into the game- something about drinking enemy blood or whatever, David had come into work early that morning, so he was honestly too tired to pay full attention- while Poppy was refusing to code such a thing. The argument had gone on for hours, back and forth, going absolutely nowhere. So, naturally, when David felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his jeans, he was more than eager to talk to whomever was on the other end. Hell, he’d even take Montreal over this bullshit. Maybe.

David stood from the conference table and exited the room, his eyes scanning the now-dark and empty floor that was earlier swarming with passionate, game-building geeks. He physically shuddered, feeling uneasy from the silence combined with the barely-illuminated lights; if this were a horror movie, David would be fucking screwed. David shook his head gently, deciding against thinking about anything too dark, and checked the caller ID on his phone. Well, he certainly hadn’t been expecting this.

“Hey Brad! What a welcome surprise! What can I do for you?” He cheerfully greeted, and he was sure his grin could be heard through the phone. Fully expecting Brad to make a sarcastic remark, he was once again surprised by the response he actually got.

“Heyyy Daviiiid.” Brad slurred loudly, causing David to pull the phone away from his ear as he cringed from the volume. Brad sounded drunk. David shouldn’t talk to him. If Brad embarrassed himself in front of him, David highly doubted he’d ever show up to work again. He was much too prideful for his own good. So, David supposed he’d have to come up with an escape plan from both the conference room and a wasted Brad Bakshi. Ian had once called David an _unlucky son of a bitch_ , and David was really starting to think that maybe, for once, he agreed with Ian.

“Hey Brad… buddy.” David trailed off, his voice holding an awkward lilt. Before he could continue, Brad cut him off by mumbling something loud yet incomprehensible. David pulled the phone away again and glanced towards the conference room, where Ian and Poppy were yelling as Jo grinned slyly from her seat, enjoying the scene way too much. _Alright._ Drunk Brad, which was a whole new ballpark for David, or… that, which was a situation he’d been trying to escape for what was going on four hours? Yeah. He’d have to go with Brad. He was pretty sure he’d always pick Brad (though he decided not to look too deep into what exactly that thought implied). “Okay- okay, Brad? Buddy?” David called into the phone. Luckily, Brad stopped his slurred chattering, but there was still a lot of noise coming from Brad’s end. “Brad? Can you tell me where you are?” Maybe he could ditch the others and get a much-needed drink. _That’d be nice._

“Uhhhh” Brad murmured, then trailed into a fit of giggles. _Giggles._ Oh yeah, Brad had to be plastered. Suddenly, though, the giggles stopped, and if it weren’t for the background noise, David would have checked to see if the connection had been lost. David waited a moment, assuming Brad had taken a drink of something, but when a few more seconds than David was comfortable with passed, David opened his mouth.

“Brad? Hello?... Brad-”

“David.” Brad responded, and this time his tone sounded.. _bored? No,_ Brad was bored at work all the time, David knew what that sounded like. _Sad? Scared, maybe?_ He was just about to push for more information when Brad continued. “My head hurts.”

At this, David sighed of relief. “Well, yeah, buddy, did you think maybe that has something to do with the alcohol consumption?” He teased gently, then heard a muffled sound on the other end, like Brad was shaking his head. Or nodding it. David couldn’t be sure.

“No.” A pause as Brad sniffled and sighed. David could practically see him rubbing at his face, the way he did whenever he got tired. “I only had… ah… three?”

“Three beers?”

“Yuck.” Brad laughed in response, then let out what David swore was a fucking whine before he continued. “No, sangria. Three… no! Two. Uhh… cups?” At that, David contorted his face in confusion. _Two glasses? Of sangria?? And Brad’s this shitfaced???_ That didn’t make a whole lot of sense. David had seen Brad down a good five or six of those at the last office Christmas party and he’d barely broken a sweat. His confusion quickly sprouted into worry, and he suddenly felt a wave of protectiveness overwhelm his senses.

“Brad? Who are you with?”

“Huh?”

“Who. Are. You. With?” David asked slowly, and it took everything in him to not let his aggravation seep into his tone. He didn’t want Brad thinking he was annoyed with him, because knowing Brad, he’d take that as a sign to hang up. And given the circumstances? That was the last thing David needed to happen right now.

“No one. I’m alone. I wasn’t.”

“Okay.” David repressed a sigh. “Okay, so who were you with?”

“I dunno- Zach?”

“Zach…?”

“Met him here… pretty. Hot. I dunno where he went… do you think he got bored? Am I boring, David? I don’t wanna be boring, I just wanted to have fun because…” Brad went quiet for a beat, then groaned. “He doesn’t like me back. Zach was gonna help-” As intriguing as it was to hear that Brad was apparently into men, and apparently getting over a damn crush (could David even be sure he was talking to the real Brad?), Brad sounded like he was in a dangerous situation, and David didn’t have the time to ask questions, even if he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to hold back from being nosy.

“Brad, tell me where you are. I’m coming to get you.” Brad gasped on the other end, and David would have rolled his eyes if he weren’t so worried.  
“Really? Would you wanna drink with me?”

“Sure, Brad, yeah. But I can’t do that unless you tell me where you are.” David took one more glance towards the chaos of the conference room before quietly slipping away to he and Brad’s office. He set his phone to speaker and placed it on his desk so he could pull his blazer on, then returned his phone to its previous position, grabbed his work bag, and made his way to the elevator. “Bra-”

“Ricardo’s.” _Ricardo’s_ … David ran the name through his head a couple times, and a vague image of the blinking blue neon sign popped into his head. _Right._ That was on his route from home to work and vice versa. David guessed it was maybe ten minutes away. Just as David made the connection, he heard an over-pronounced ‘ah’, and a smack of lips. _Fucking Christ._

“Don’t tell me you just got another drink.”

“I didn’t.” David felt a bit of relief at that.

“Good.”

“I got that one a minute ago, just finished- woah, ow.” _Well, relief gone._

“Brad.” David stressed. “No more drinking until I get there, okay? I’ll be there in a little over ten minutes.”

“Okay… should I hang up?”

“Wha-? No! No, Brad-” David sighed, throwing his bag into the backseat of his car. “I want to talk to you until I get there. Please?” His voice went up a couple octaves, and the fact that Brad didn’t make fun of him in the slightest only served to heighten David’s anxiety. Brad didn’t hang up, though, thankfully, so David asked Brad to talk about anything on his mind during his journey there. The longer Brad stayed on the phone, the longer he’d be safe. Or, at least, that’s what David hoped. As David drove, his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and it was a wonder he didn’t crash with how much his attention was on Brad’s voice rather than the road. Brad was starting to get harder and harder to understand, despite the fact that he seemed to have stopped drinking like David asked. And honestly? That just further confirmed David’s suspicions. He didn’t know who this ‘Zach’ was, but he felt an overwhelming urge to beat the guy senseless. You know, if he had combat skills.

David practically fell from his car when he arrived, so eager to get to Brad that he forgot to lock it. He hung up the phone, figuring he wouldn’t need it now, and made his way into the building. The room was dark, the lights dimmed, but that didn’t stop the crowds of people- _no, men, just men,_ David noted- from dancing and laughing and drinking. David looked around desperately, and when he spotted a familiar head of hair at the bar, he was suddenly thankful to whatever the hell had made Brad so damn tall.

“Brad!” David shouted over the music and people, and when he finally pushed his way closer, Brad was slumped forward, his head on his arm, resting on the bar counter. “Brad? Buddy, get up, we’re gonna get you home, okay?” David asked, trying to keep his voice soft, yet loud enough for Brad to hear. It was a challenge, that’s for sure. “Brad, come on. Up we go.” He insisted, and Brad didn’t react until David was hoisting him up to his feet.

“David?” Brad asked so quietly that if he hadn’t been pressed right against his side, David probably wouldn’t have heard it.

“Hey bud.” David put his arm around Brad’s waist while moving Brad’s arm around his own shoulders, then attempted to maneuver both of their bodies through the crowd. It didn’t work, unsurprisingly, as people apparently didn’t have manners, and Brad was seemingly two seconds from passing out- no longer even acknowledging anything David said. He let out a sigh, shook his head, and stopped in the middle of the dancing bodies, before he picked Brad up in a way that was almost bridal-style but with a lot less stability- like he was holding a sack of potatoes. _Oh._ Suddenly that phrase made so much more sense. This awkward hold was maintained until they reached the parking lot, and David let out a huff as he readjusted Brad to properly hold him bridal-style this time.

Brad’s head fell to David’s shoulder, and now that they were away from the music, David could hear the faint sound of snoring. David glanced down to study his face as he brought him to his car, and he couldn’t help but appreciate just how peaceful Brad looked while asleep. Or knocked out. _Right. That._ “Brad? Wake up, buddy.” David insisted softly as he tried to get Brad onto his feet- which he managed once he leaned the man against the side of his car. “Brad, you can’t be sleeping right now, not after- wake up, Brad.” David’s voice was getting louder, the panic growing, but before it could get out of hand, Brad’s eyes just barely squinted open as he let out another one of those whines he’d made over the phone earlier. David, for a reason that was gradually becoming clearer to him, felt his heart break a bit. “I know, honey, I know.” David sighed as he patted Brad’s face to wake him up more. “I know. Just help me get you in the car, okay? I’ve got a water bottle in the cup holder, drink some of that for me, okay?”

“Mmh.” was all Brad said in response, still very disoriented, but he managed to get himself into the front passenger seat, find David’s water, and take a couple small sips. Now, finally, some of that sweet relief could settle in David’s stomach, and he buckled Brad’s seatbelt before closing the door and getting himself situated in the driver’s seat.

The ride to David’s apartment had been quiet, the only sounds being the car’s heating, the tires against the pavement, and, occasionally, Brad making a noise of discomfort. Originally, David had planned to take Brad to the emergency room, but a barely-awake Brad had begged him not to take him there, his eyes wide (or as wide as they could be at the moment) and filled with both fear and confusion (both of which David was pretty sure he’d never seen Brad genuinely show), and David felt it best not to make Brad any more uncomfortable than he already was. He deserved to feel safe. So, David’s apartment it was. After all, David was the person to potentially rescue Brad from some scary cult or something else equally terrifying, so if Brad couldn’t trust David, then who could he trust?

Upon reaching the apartment (which, if you asked David, _was really more of a condo_ ), David helped a slightly-more-conscious Brad inside and onto David’s bed. In Brad’s current situation, there was no way in hell David would be leaving him on the couch, and he didn’t have a spare bedroom. That was okay. He could sleep on the couch for the night, lord knows he’d done it countless times towards the end of his marriage. The only differences being that this time, he was willing to sacrifice his comfort for the person in his bed, and this time, he was too worried about him to sleep.

Minutes went by. Hours. The moon went down and the sun started to rise, and David- who, again, hadn’t slept- sent a text to Jo to have her inform the inner circle that he and Brad would be busy with business meetings for the day. Which, obviously, wasn’t true, but they didn’t need to know that. Just as David sent his message, he heard a creak in the flooring under the carpet, and glanced over to the hallway to see Brad, who appeared to be a bit startled by being noticed. David checked the time on his phone- huh, it was already a little after 7- before glancing at Brad and really taking him in. One of David’s blankets was wrapped snugly around Brad’s shoulders, his arms hugging it tight to his torso like he was worried loosening his grip would cause the blanket to melt away. _Wow._ David was seeing a lot of new sides to Brad since the night before, and he couldn’t help but selfishly wonder if he was being punked. But then, when he looked Brad in the eyes, they were filled with so much discomfort and fear and confusion and shame that David internally scolded himself for ever thinking Brad was making this shit up.

Brad readjusted the blanket on his shoulders before walking up to the couch, and he made a motion for David to move out of the way so he could sit next to him. Brad, of course, left space between the two, but he was still close enough that David could feel the heat radiating off of him. David desperately wanted to hug him- he wouldn’t, of course, because Brad often voiced how much he valued his space around the office- but that didn’t mean David’s urge to wrap him up and protect him had gone away. In fact, it only grew stronger, and David was seriously considering kicking himself, because _duh._ He was in love with Brad. Of course he was, how could he not be? But if the little snippets of information David had gotten last night said anything, they said that Brad was in a bad spot- emotionally- and David certainly wasn’t going to take advantage of that.

“Thanks.” It was quiet, scratchy- David would have missed it if he hadn’t been specifically waiting for Brad to speak- but it was enough to make David give Brad a comforting smile, despite his tiredness. He nodded, and Brad nodded once in return before looking away again, his eyes looking somewhere towards the floor. Several moments went by in a surprisingly comfortable silence as Brad rubbed at his face, then seemed to get lost in his head. _He’s thinking_ , David deduced, and he wished he could hear what exactly Brad had going on in that brilliant mind of his.

“Do you remember anything?” David asked, risking a glance at Brad, who merely winced as embarrassment flooded into his features; but he shook his head, which either meant A, he was lying, or B, he was assuming he’d done something embarrassing. David once again resisted the urge to embrace him.

“I remember going out for drinks after work.” That was a start. “Alone- it wasn’t some lame fuckin coworker party or some shit.” _Well then._ At least Brad was sounding more like himself, apart from the obvious fatigue and confusion. “I just…” Brad trailed off, sighed, and rubbed at his face again- this time more out of frustration than exhaustion. “I needed a drink. Some guy bought me a couple…” Then, Brad shrugged and wrapped the blanket tighter around his body.

“That’s it…?” David pushed gently, and Brad gave a quick glance to him before sinking more into the cushions of the couch. _Okay._ That definitely didn’t seem like nothing. “Brad.” At the sound of his name, Brad reluctantly met David’s gaze, and David suddenly thought Brad looked much younger than he was, like David was a counselor trying to get a child to open up. That comparison made David feel the need to shiver uncomfortably, but he held it in in order to gently place a hand on Brad’s back. “If something happened-”

“Nothing fucking happened.” Brad snapped, though it was lacking his usual strength of attitude.

“Okay.” David responded, waving his free hand up for a moment in surrender. “I’m not saying anything did. But if something did… you can talk about it. I won’t tell anyone.” Brad squinted his eyes, the way he did whenever he’d say _I call bullshit_ , and David couldn’t help but wonder who had made Brad so distrusting. That was another question for another day, he supposed. “I mean that. I’m here if you need me.” Brad kept his eyes squinted skeptically, though after a few seconds of seemingly reading David, he relaxed a little and looked away. A few minutes passed, then a few more, all the while David kept his hand on Brad’s back, beginning to rub circles there gently. After what felt like hours but was only ten minutes, Brad shifted closer to David, and after giving David one more cautious look-over, Brad leaned into his side; his head rested against David’s chest, but he kept his arms and the blanket wound tightly around himself. David frowned, despite the warm feeling in his chest, and he carefully wound his arms around Brad’s shoulders, holding him close. This was unlike Brad- very, very unlike him. Not that David was complaining or anything, because he wasn’t, but he was certainly worried.

“Nothing happened.” Brad murmured.

“Okay.”

“It would have.” Brad admitted, and David could feel how tense he’d suddenly gotten. David’s hold on him tightened. “Whoever bought me those drinks. He would have-” Brad’s mouth snapped shut, and for once, it seemed like Brad was struggling with what to say. “If I hadn’t called you. I vaguely remember it- I know I didn’t want to.”

David’s brows furrowed. “You didn’t want to call me?” He asked, keeping his voice quiet, not wanting to startle Brad out of their moment. It was nice, in a selfish way, to feel needed. Especially by Brad, whom David always wanted to be important to. Brad shook his head at the question. “Then why did you?” David felt Brad shift uncomfortably. “I’m not upset or anything. I’m just asking.” He reassured, quickly but softly. Brad relaxed.

“You’re the only one who’d wanna help me.” _Okay._ That broke David’s heart a little bit. Or a lot.

“Brad-”

“Don’t fucking pity me, David. I know everybody at work hates me, and that’s fine.” Brad insisted, a little bit of that Brad-like heat coming back into his voice. “I don’t want anybody to like me. I don’t care. But you just can’t take a fucking hint.”

“Well pardon my French, mister, but that’s bullshit.” David retorted, and Brad pushed himself away to glare at him, which only caused David to shrug. “You do want people to like you. You want me to like you, right? That’s why you haven’t blown up on me for helping you yet, and why you don’t complain about us sharing an office, and why you seem to find something new to annoy me with every damn day?” David probably should have stopped, his brain told him that much, but his heart was controlling the reins this time. “You care about people, you care about me, and Poppy, and Jo and even Ian- even though you refuse to admit it. You definitely care about Rachel- yeah, I know what you did for her with Dana, and don’t try to feed me the same excuse you gave Rachel about ‘owning people’ because you and I both know that you’re probably not even going to get anything out of Rachel anyway! When Ian calls you a psychopath, or Poppy calls you an asshole, a part of you gets wounded. I can see it in your eyes. And yet- yet you do all this shit to try to push people away, and it doesn’t make any sense!” David’s voice was getting steadily higher in pitch and louder in volume as he stood from his seat and paced the room, and he was so caught up in his speech that he didn’t catch that Brad’s glare had gone away, and that it was replaced with some sort of mixture of guilt and regret and some other emotions that weren’t quite detectable. “Who hurt you, Brad?” David asked, waving his hands around in confusion. “Why is it so hard for you to just accept that people want to care about you, and that you’re allowed to care about us? You’re seriously going to sit there and tell me, after everything I did for you last night, and everything I’ve ever done for you, that you don’t fucking care? About anybody? That’s bullshit, Brad!”

“I-”

“Do you know how many fucking times the rest of the team has planned a meetup without you because they think you hate them? Do you know how many of those times that I’ve went ahead and invited you anyway? And how many of those times you still treat me and everybody else there like shit just because you’re too fucking scared to get close? Christ, Brad- sometimes I think you’re the smartest guy I’ve ever met, and sometimes you’re just so stupid! I didn’t come and get you last night because I’m some badass knight in shining armour who wants to help everyone, I did it because I love you- and you’re too fucking stubborn to even care!”

David dropped his arms down to his sides once he finished, and he felt a little bit out of breath. And very exhausted. But hey, that’s what having a meltdown after staying up for over 24 hours straight did to a man. He watched Brad look away, and he could see the wheels turning in his head, like Brad was attempting to piece together some invisible puzzle laid out in front of them. And honestly, with how frustrating Brad could be sometimes, an invisible puzzle for only his eyes wouldn’t even be that alarming to David. At least it’d be an explanation for why Brad makes everything so damn complicated. Eventually, as David’s breath started to even out, Brad furrowed his brows and stood up, wincing as he rubbed his head for a minute. _He must be feeling dizzy. I should offer him some water to flush whatever he was given out of his system for good_ , David thought, before pushing that thought away stubbornly. _No._ Brad could have David’s affection once their conversation was over. Brad dropped the blanket, finally, on the couch and scratched at one of his sleeves, still wearing his clothes from the day prior. Just like David.

“You… love me?”

“God, Brad-” David groaned, his frustration getting the better of him. “Yes. I don’t think anyone would put up with your shit for this long unless they loved you.” _Okay._ A little harsher than he’d meant for it to sound, but he didn’t plan on backing down. He stood his ground, awaiting some sort of reply. At this point, David was running on so much exhaustion-induced adrenaline that he honestly didn’t care how Brad reacted to the new information, as long as he gave David some sort of real, genuine response for once.

“Why the hell are you telling me now?”

“Because, Brad; I’m tired. Both literally and non-literally-”

“Metaphorically.”

“Yes.” David groaned, and when he looked at Brad, he caught the end of a short-lived smirk, most likely at David’s annoyance at being corrected. _Alright._ Well, at least Brad wasn’t broken or something.

“And when you say you love me…?” Brad trailed off, biting his lip as he squinted his eyes in confusion.

“Yes, Brad, it is romantic, and yes, Brad, I am sure of it.” Both parties went silent again for a moment, and David folded his arms across his chest as he watched Brad fidget and sway in his spot, looking anywhere but at David.

“I love you too.” Brad muttered under his breath, and David raised his brows.

“What was that?”

“I said _I love you too._ ” Brad huffed reluctantly, his hands landing on his hips as he finally made eye contact. “I have for a while, that’s-” He let out a long sigh, shaking his head as if deciding whether or not to keep speaking. Apparently, he decided it was worth the effort. “That’s why I accepted those drinks from that guy when I shouldn’t have.” David felt his heart drop to his stomach, and the blood leave his face.

“What?” Brad noticed the pale complexion and rolled his eyes.

“I’m not blaming you, jackass. I just-” He balled his hands into fists in front of his chest before opening his palms and dropping his arms again. “The whole ‘presumably one-sided pining’ thing was kicking my ass, so I thought getting shitfaced would like. Help. Or something. I dunno.” He frequently waved his hands around as he spoke, though every once in a while, one of them would come up to rub his forehead or pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Well if you’ve ever actually seen a romance movie, you’d know that moving away suddenly and changing your identity is a much safer way to deal with potential rejection than letting some guy drug you.” David bit back, and when Brad scratched at his arm again, which seemed to be some sort of subconscious stress reaction, David sighed and ran both hands through his hair, then back down across his face. “I’m sorry. That was mean, and I’m sorry.”

Brad shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t be. I deserved it.” He admitted- under his breath, once again. The both of them stayed quiet for a few awkward minutes, before Brad cut through the silence. “Does this mean we have to tell Carol to write an updated file on our… relationship?” David gave Brad a confused look before his eyes widened.

“Is that what HR does?” Brad shrugged as if to say _sort of, yeah,_ then winced and rubbed at his head again. “Holy shit, you’re a genius.”

“Sure I am, but it doesn’t take a genius to pay attention.” David hummed in response before Brad spoke again. “You know, if we are like, a couple, or whatever, I wouldn’t mind it if you kissed me.”

David scoffed, but gave Brad a warm smile. “Until we get whatever the hell is in your system completely out of your system, that’s not happening.” He informed, then walked him in the direction of the kitchen. “Let’s get you some water and something to eat.”

“Do you have anything I can eat?”

“You mean like that bland vegan crap?” A pause. Brad was rolling his eyes.

“Yes.”

“Of course.” David rubbed Brad’s back, and continued talking as they disappeared into the kitchen. “Gotta make sure I bring extra breakfast to work every day so you don’t become more bony than you already are.” That sentence produced an amused snort from Brad, and David felt his heart swell with pride. Maybe answering his phone hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.


End file.
